Passengers aboard an American Airlines flight – remembering the fate of the planes hijacked on Sept. 11 – tackled a mentally ill man who forced his way into the cockpit yesterday.

Moments later, military jets appeared alongside the plane and escorted it to a safe landing at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.

“My first thought was that Pennsylvania flight, and those guys were heroes in my eyes,” said passenger Sean Costa, recalling the men who fought back against one group of hijackers during last month’s terror attacks, forcing their plane to crash in a field.

“I didn’t think twice,” said Costa, who helped subdue the man. “If something was going to happen, I’d rather do something about my fate than sit there and take it.”

The FBI said Edward Coburn, 31, leaped from his seat as Flight 1238 was preparing to land in Chicago and raced to the front of the aircraft – as half a dozen fellow passengers sprinted after him. He managed to get inside the cockpit before being dragged out.

“At one point it appeared he had his arm around the pilot’s neck,” said Chris Fredricks, who was on the Los Angeles to Chicago flight.

FBI spokesman Ross Rice said, “This man had some sort of mental problem. He is on medication and under a doctor’s treatment. This is not a terrorist incident.”

The man was traveling with his father, who helped subdue him.

“I saw the cockpit door open and the plane went to both sides,” said passenger Perry Rice. “Then it leveled off and dropped a little bit.”

Another passenger said the man had a panic attack.

“He was screaming, ‘Look out the window. Save the Sears Tower. Save yourselves,'” she told WBBM radio by telephone from the plane.

The captain declared an emergency and Air Force F-16s scrambled to escort the Boeing 767.